Night Weasels Cometh! CX race report
Night Weasels Cometh is one of those events that is pretty unique. The venue is a ski slope and it has evolved over time for the better. The first year it was introduced, they thought it would be ok to leave the grass uncut. That resulted in countless derailleur casualties. Personally, I like a good challenge but that is just not right. I skipped the following year. I went back the next year and they had done a much better job from a ground maintenance perspective. It was wet and sloppy and my results were just as wet and sloppy. It was a lot of fun though. This year was dry and the course layout was a little different. It seemed like there were more switch backs and it was more compressed. I thought it was great. The venue also has a beer garden and a restaurant (burgers and dogs).
I decided that I would go with the file tread fast rolling setup and that was certainly the correct choice. I started on the front row with number 194. The lowest number was 190 so I was feeling pretty good. I decided to start on the far right against the tape but as I looked at it, I wasn't sure I made the best choice. That side would get pinched on the first turn about 150 yards from the start. Someone decided to squeeze in to my left and the casual prestart conversation revealed that this was his first race this year. Then he says that he would pull me on the flats if I paced him up the hills. What the heck!!!!! Is this guy for real???!!! There are no flats. The whistle goes off....next thing I know, the clown is hanging on my shoulder. It gets pretty ugly from there. I go down and I'm not sure who else I took down with me. It was just a bad situation. I pull my bike out of the wreckage and surprisingly, there were no issues. I get pedaling again and start chasing. Based on the numbers, I figure that I am somewhere in 40th position.
The good thing is that my legs were feeling pretty good. I was going to just go as fast and hard as I could for as long as I could. I started working through the field and could see that I was making some progress. I could see 190 and I just passed 191. Final lap and I was working the number 8 position with a back and forth dual was a fellow from 545 Velo. He was breathing like a mad man possessed. One good blow and he would be done. He was more like a Zombie because it three or four blows to finally get him. I could see 6 and 7 and finished at the line with them but just couldn't get there. I finished 5th in the 4/5 40+ and 8th overall.
It was a lot of fun!!!!
